Siesta Miniature

ONE of the most famous Siesta games, Réti - Capablanca, Berlin 1928, is also given by Tartakower and du Mont in 500 Master Games Of Chess.
Tartakower's comments are in italics.
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 d6 5.c3 f5
The 'Siesta Gambit' at work.
6.d4
Trying an upheaval of the centre.
Caruana used this move last year to beat Baskaran Adhiban (2655) in a rapidplay game.
6...fxe4
After 6...exd4 7.Bxc6+ bxc6 8.Nxd4 White would have the best of it.
This note is rather puzzling as Black seems fine with 8...fxe4. However the analysis engines Stcokfish10 and Komodo9 give 7.Nxd4 as being very strong for White.
7.Ng5
The crucial moment. An automatic draw would be brought about (as shown in the first instance by Maróczy) by 7.Nxe5 dxe5 8.Qh5+ Ke7 9.Bg5+ Nf6 10.Bxc6 bxc6 11.dxe5 Qd5 (ingeniously maintaining his gain, for if now 12.exf6+ gxf6, White's bishop is pinned) 12.Bh4 Ke6 13.Bxf6 gxf6 14.Qe8+ Kf5 15.Qh5+ Ke6 16.Qe8+ with perpetual check. This draw by sacrifice is reminiscent of the 'Möller Attack' in the 'Giuoco Piano'.
This forced draw featured as recently as last year in a game between players rated 2072 (White) and 1659.
7...exd4
An interesting idea, due to the Russian master Zonosko-Borovsky, is 7...d5 8.dxe5 Bc5.
8.Nxe4
Simplification by 8.Bxc6+ bxc6 9.Qxd4 is essential here.
The engines reckon Black would have a winning advantage with the simple 9...d5. They much prefer Réti's choice.
8...Nf6 9.Bg5
Caruana preferred 9.Nxf6+.
9...Be7

Réti's next move is a blunder

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10.Qxd4??
Heedless. But even after 10.Bxc6+ bxc6 11.Qxd4 0-0, Black has an advantage in territory, thanks to his open f file. The best, therefore, would be 10.Bxf6 Bxf6 11.Qh5+ g6 (or else 11...Kf8) 12.Qd5, and the chances are approximately even.
10...b5 11.Nxf6 gxf6
Now there are three white pieces 'en prise'.
12.Qd5 bxa4
Black, with two opposing bishops liable to capture, makes a wise selection, for if 12...fxg5, 13.Bb3 saves the piece.
This is incorrect as Black wins with 13...Qd7, saving the c6 knight as well as avoiding mate. However, the engines, and an anonymous annotator in ChessBase's 2019 Mega database, give 13.Bd1!, as now 13...Qd7 is met by 14.Bg4! Qxg4 15.Qxc6+ Kd8 16.Qxa8 Qe6+ with an unclear position.
13.Bh6
Trying to force a way into the enemy camp, as after 13.Qxc6+ Bd7 Black wins.
13...Qd7
The 'coup juste', which defends the threatened knight and vacates a square for the king, parrying the threat of a perpetual check. A terrible blunder would be 13...Bd7 14.Qh5#.
14.0-0
14.Bg7 is not much of an improvement as Black gets the queens off, 14...Qe6+ 15.Qxe6 Bxe6, and then traps White's bishop by 16.Bxh8 Kf7. After 17.Bxf6 Bxf6, Black has two bishops and a lead in development for rook and pawn. The engines reckon Black is clearly winning.
14...Bb7 15.Bg7 0-0-0
After this reply, events crowd fast on one another.
16.Bxh8 Ne5
Putting down his trumps.
17.Qd1
Or, for instance, 17.Qd4 Nf3+ 18.gxf3 Rg8+ 19.Kh1 Bxf3#.
17...Bf3
A break-up sacrifice.
18.gxf3
Or 18.Qd4 Rg8 19.g3 Qh3 etc.
Now White hopes to survive after the continuation 18...Rg8+ 19.Kh1 Qh3 20.Rg1 Rxg1+ 21.Qxg1 Qxf3+ 22.Qg2 etc.
18...Qh3 0-1
Black's last four moves were hammer blows.

Birth Of A Variaton?

IN 500 Master Games Of Chess by Tartakower and du Mont, the Siesta Variation of the Deferred Steinitz Defence to the Ruy Lopez is credited to Capablanca.
The "birth of a variation," according to the authors, occurred in the following game:
Endre Steiner* - Capablanca
Budapest 1928 (known as the Siesta Tournament)
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 d6 5.c3 f5

So far so simple, but there is a problem - Capablanca had faced the move 5...f5 in his match against Marshall 19 years earlier.
It was game 14, and ended in a draw (Capablanca was leading by seven wins to one in the match, which was promoted as being for the US championship and was to be the first to eight wins).
But that is not all - back in 1892, at the German chess federation's seventh congress master tournament, held in Dresden, von Scheve played the "Siesta Variaton" to draw against Walbrodt.
Of course it is easy to be wise with the benefit of a database, but it is surprising neither a strong player such as Tartakower, nor a leading writer and chess editor such as du Mont, was apparently aware of 5...f5 being played in the Capablanca - Marshall match.
Anyway, putting chess history aside, how should White meet the Siesta (the move 5...f5 is still relevant today, being second in popularity to the more conventional 5...Bd7)?
The game Walbrodt - von Scheve went 6.d3 (reminiscent of a popular line against the Schliemann) Nf6 7.Qe2 Be7 8.Bb3 Na5 9.Bc2 0-0 10.Nbd2 f4!? (½–½, 22 moves).
White reacted more energetically in Capablanca - Marshall: 6.exf5 Bxf5 7.d4 e4 (the same moves were played in E.Steiner - Capablanca, with Tartakower commenting: "It is clear that Black's game will remain powerful if he can maintain this advanced post") 8.Qe2 Be7 9.Nfd2 Nf6 10.h3!? (Stockfish10 and Komodo9 strongly dislike this move, and subsequent games featured 10.0-0 or 10.f3) d5 (½–½, 31 moves).
The Siesta still occasionally appears at high levels, with the most recent game involving two 2400+ players in ChessBase's 2019 Mega database being from last year's French club championship. Yuri Solodovnichenko (2531) - Deimante Cronette (2461) continued 6.exf5 Bxf5 7.0-0 Bd3 8.Re1 Be7 9.Qb3 Rb8!? (9...b5 10.Qd5 Qd7 11.Qxd3 bxa4 is considered the main line, but looks pleasant for White) 10.Qd5 Bf5 11.d4!? (the uncredited annotator in Mega19 points out that 11.Bb3 was played in a 2015 ICCF correspondence game, and is preferred by the engines) Nf6! (this double-pawn sac seems to be Black's only decent move) 12.Bxc6+ bxc6 13.Qc6+ Bd7 14.Qxa6 e4 (for his two pawns, Black has the bishop-pair and kingside attacking chances) 15.Ng5 Rb6 16.Qe2 d5 17.Bf4? (the bishop becomes a target here - the engines reckon 17.c4 or 17.a4 keeps the game in balance) 17...0-0 18.a4 Ne8!? (a retreat, but it lets a more powerful piece - the queen's rook - join the kingside attack) 19.a5 Rg6 20.Nxe4 Rxf4 21.Ng3 Re6 22.Qd2 Rff6 23.Re5 Bd6 24.Rxe6 Rxe6 25.a6 Qe7 26.f3? (White spent almost eight minutes over this move, which leads to a quick loss, but he was in big trouble anyway) Bxg3 27.hxg3 Re2 28.Qd3 Re1+ 29.Kf2 Bb5! 0-1
*The attribution "A. Steiner" in the book seems to be a mistake.